Nonlinear flutter of a buckled shear-deformable composite panel in a high-supersonic flow (Q1891869)

The nonlinear dynamical behaviour of a flat laminated panel subjected to a high-supersonic gas flow of arbitrary orientation is analysed. For postcritical flow speeds, induced membrane forces damp the oscillations thus preventing immediate panel failure. The model incorporates the combined effects of geometric and aerodynamic nonlinearities, transverse shear deformation, in-plane edge loads and edge constraints, and small initial geometric imperfections. The arclength continuation method is used to determine the static equilibrium state, periodic motions about which are obtained by the shooting technique (that allows a systematic investigation of bifurcating motions) as well as by the method of multiple scales (for small-amplitude flutter of perfect panels). Direct numerical integration is utilized to find non-periodic states, characterized by calculated Lyapunov exponents.